It is well known that ski touring and freeriding have been booming for some time now and have been providing manufacturers with constant growth rates compared to stagnating alpine skiing. Manufacturers are trying to combine the best of both worlds in order to reach a new target group. The market leader in the ski touring sector is Dynafit and since the signing of pro freerider Eric Hjorleifson at the latest, it was clear that Dynafit would also try to expand further in the freeride touring sector.
I have fond memories of my beginnings in ski touring, when the freetouring segment had not yet been born and I still got a lot of incredulous looks from baffled ski tourers because of my equipment. Nobody could understand what I was doing up here with my first-generation Völkl Gotama and a Fritschi Titinal III. It usually didn't take long before someone dared to ask if it was a snowboard to put together.
Since then, a few years have passed in which both disciplines have made enormous progress. Provided we have the necessary funds, we can now fall back on very good equipment that allows us to get up and down the mountains even faster and easier.
With the Huascaran, Dynafit has crowned its freeride touring segment and launched a ski on the market that is clearly aimed at downhill-oriented ski tourers. With its pronounced tip rocker, known as Scoop Rocker at Dynafit, a relatively short tail rocker and a normal sidecut under the binding, the Huascaran still aims to be versatile. Its dimensions will also make traditional freeriders sit up and take notice and with a center width of around 114 mm (varies depending on length) and a maximum length of 196 cm, the Huascaran leaves no doubt as to its area of application. By using a paulownia wood core in combination with bamboo and beech stringers, a light weight of 3.7 kg with a length of 186 cm could be achieved.
I made my first turns with the Huascaran (186 cm) on a few ski tours in conditions that were more bad than right. I was surprised by its maneuverability and the pretty good edge grip despite its dimensions. This is due to the triple radius underfoot, which varies depending on the amount of edge pressure. You can imagine that the more pressure is exerted on the edge, the shorter the radius and the more the ski pulls into the turn. I also tested this at the beginning of the season on pimple-hard artificial snow and was again very surprised at how well the Huascaran can be pulled on the edge. In its traditional area of use off-piste, it shows its strengths to the full, floats very well, is easy to steer and, thanks to its shovel construction, even capped snow conditions hardly impress it. It drifts relatively well and doesn't overwhelm the skier even in the forest. I would describe its flex as medium, not hard, but not soft either. This makes it suitable for almost all speeds, the Huascaran only reaches its limits at very high speeds and on uneven ground. I also had to get used to very steep and hard conditions, where the long tip rocker meant that I had to fight with a plucking shovel again and again, but this was relatively easy to eliminate with a little more pressure on the end of the ski. However, I never felt completely comfortable with the Huascaran because I couldn't adopt my usual neutral skiing position. But there are definitely better or more suitable skis for skiing steep and hard conditions. I can't quite understand the use of the Micro Sidewall in combination with a cap construction. Neither the one nor the other makes much sense in this combination, apart from saving weight. In my opinion, it would have been better to use a complete sidewall construction, which would perhaps be a little heavier, but also more resistant to shark attacks.
Conclusion: The Huascaran from Dynafit is a good freeride touring ski, which should preferably be used in good, soft snow conditions. But it also cuts a fine figure on hard surfaces. Although its construction makes it a lightweight in its segment, I am skeptical about using it as an everyday ski or for normal freeriding in the ski area. The micro sidewall construction in combination with a half-cap construction quickly reaches its limits in terms of durability.
